Member Article

Latest phase in £36m Whitley Bay regeneration plan has investors and businesses on red alert

North Tyneside’s Cabinet is being asked to confirm arrangements to guide procurement for the future of the Spanish City Dome, the latest phase of the £36m Whitley Bay seafront masterplan given the green light in March.

The Cabinet will next week (June 8) make a formal decision on the potential partners that can both deliver an exciting new future for the Grade II listed building, as well as a viable and sustainable business plan acceptable to funders.

The report, being considered by Cabinet, will involve a formal tender and procurement process that will allow the council to consider proposals from firms on a range of options to facilitate the future success of the Dome.

Tenders would need to be acceptable to the Heritage Lottery Fund and also fit with the council’s future vision for the coast and the Dome, as detailed in its Seafront Masterplan.

The formal process is part of the council’s ongoing work to prepare for its Stage 2 grant application for the restoration of the Spanish City Dome.

The Stage 2 bid requires a detailed business case to demonstrate the project is sustainable in the long term, to ensure the Heritage Enterprise Lottery Fund grant is a worthwhile investment.

North Tyneside Council has already secured Round One approval for a grant of £3.66m through the Heritage Lottery Fund’s new Heritage Enterprise programme.

The Round Two application will provide Lottery investment to enable vital repairs and conservation works to be carried out to transform Spanish City into a safe, useable and inspirational commercial and leisure space.

Elected Mayor for North Tyneside, Norma Redfearn said: “We’re working hard to secure a bright and sustainable future use for the Dome, and want to make sure that we have all options available to us.

“This formal process that we’ll be asking cabinet to approve gives us the ability to seek and consider approaches from investors or organisations interested in running or managing the Dome in its entirety, alongside the options we already have.”

A number of businesses have already expressed an interest in taking space in the building, with the strongest interest in proposed new shop units facing the Plaza and Promenade; all of the proposals already received would be considered alongside any new options that may emerge.